The biggest female stars in pornography have blazed a path since the 1970s, all thanks to the doors opened by the legendary adult movie Deep Throat. These women are smart, capable, and in control of their destinies and careers. Here are some of their thoughts about Deep Throat’s influence and women’s rise to the top in the adult industry.
Founder and CEO of Burning Angel; creator of the alternative porn movement; AVN Award winner; included in CNBC’s Dirty Dozen List of Porn’s Most Popular Stars. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaAngel.
Asked to draw comparisons between Deep Throat and founding her company, Burning Angel, Joanna Angel said: “Deep Throat gained this level of legitimacy where everybody knows about this film and saw it. When I started Burning Angel, my goal was to cross over and become a piece of pop culture and create a place where people were comfortable and celebrated sexuality. I wanted to take something that was supposed to be secretive, bad, and dirty, and turn it into something cool, that people could talk about and relate to.” What has she learned from Deep Throat’s star Linda Lovelace’s tumultuous career as one of the first major porn stars? Angel said: “This is a tough world for women who want to be in charge of anything. You have to work 10 times as hard to get half as far as everybody else. If you want to be a CEO on Wall Street or a doctor, you have to be the best doctor and the best CEO because everyone’s waiting for you to fuck up. Being a woman is hard.”
AVN and XRCO award winner and nominee; Wicked writer, director, and star; creator of the Wicked Passions line. Follow her on Twitter @StormyDaniels.
Stormy Daniels said of Deep Throat’s influence on sexuality and the adult industry: “It opened so many doors for the adult industry, women and sexuality in general. Up until that point I bet some men didn’t even know that women had a clitoris. This began wanting to please your partner and took the shame out of being aroused or wanting to have an orgasm. I think the movie did great things.” Asked about Linda Lovelace’s claim she starred in Deep Throat against her will, which perpetuated the myth that all adult stars are victimized, Daniels said: “90 percent of the movies that I’ve starred in, I was also the director. And I’m not forcing myself to do something I don’t want to do, so I completely eradicate that voice in the back of people’s minds when they’re watching my movies that says, ‘Maybe this girl doesn’t want to be here, maybe she has a pimp.’ I take away that guilt, and people are able to relax and enjoy and find pleasure in the movie.”
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AVN and XRCO award winner; president of Alexis Texas Entertainment; crossover success starring in Bloodlust Zombies. Follow her on Twitter @Alexis_Texas.
Alexis Texas said of pornography’s impact on today’s culture: “The younger generations are just very librated and comfortable with who they are. Women are now more confident and accepting of themselves. In the last five to 10 years women have stepped out and made it known that it’s not just about men. I came to the realization that women have to be very vocal about what they want and don’t want. And that’s evident with more women in higher positions to make business decisions nowadays and involved behind and in front of the camera in the adult industry.” Asked about recent comments by former Sen. Rick Santorum that pornography harms society, Texas said: “People don’t want to admit that they watch porn, yet we have fans in all different kinds of offices, celebrities, rappers, basketball players, and football players. Nobody wants to talk about it, but they want to watch it.”
Three-time AVN Best Actress winner; Wicked performer, writer, director; host of In Bed With Jessica Drake on Playboy Radio; creator of Guide to Wicked Sex. Follow her on Twitter @thejessicadrake and read her blog.
Jessica Drake said of Linda Lovelace, Deep Throat’s star: “I think that she was very bold, a sexual pioneer who opened up communication between couples that saw her movie. And I know that she fought an even bigger stigma than the one that I fight today. I’m very disappointed that she later said, ‘I was forced to do it,’ but there is a lot of stress associated with being an adult star in certain circumstances.” Asked about women’s roles in the adult industry today, she said, “I think women in the industry today followed in the footsteps of other great women and have done many positive things. When I first started as a performer, I never thought I was limited, but after a few years, I saw women becoming forces of authority, power, and control. It just seems to be a natural progression, just like we are seeing it happen in society, and I think this will continue to evolve.” Where does she see the adult industry 40 years from now” “I wish I had a crystal ball. I would like to think that 40 years from now, the idea of an adult star is still a possibility. I’m hoping that the star mentality returns. What is going to happen in this business? I don’t know, but I can’t imagine not being part of it.”
AVN award winner, Penthouse Pet- April 2008, Wicked performer. Follow her on Twitter @clubalektrablue.
Alektra Blue said of interacting with so many high-powered women in the adult industry: “I think they’re amazing. I’m all about girl power, I think we run the world and we can do anything. We’re definitely giving the guys a run for their money.” Reflecting on pornography’s past, Blue said, “I think obviously the industry has evolved a thousand times since Deep Throat, and people like Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, and John Stagliano—who put in the time and cared about their art and stood up for their rights—have paved the way for all of us.” Asked about her greatest influences, Blue recalled Jenna Jameson and said, “I ripped out a picture of Jenna Jameson in Flashpoint featured in an Adam and Eve catalog and put it on my refrigerator. And then, many years later, I’m working for Wicked like she did and I thought, ‘This was fate.’ She influenced me a lot.” What about her future career? “I’m always challenging myself to do other roles and learn everything I can. I realized no one knows your potential until they see it.”
AVN Award winner, Wicked performer, star of the Cinemax series The Exotic Traveler. Follow her on Twitter @kaylani_lei.
Kaylani Lei said of the early days of pornography: “Just exposing and shedding light on matters that people would not normally talk about was important. Today normal, everyday, grown-up women love to watch adult movies as well and are supportive of it. When I saw the documentary film [Inside Deep Throat], they pulled aside women of all ages, even elderly women, who said, ‘Yeah, I loved watching it,’ or ‘I can’t wait to see this,’ or ‘I think it’s great.’ They’re the voices of people who are not involved in [the adult industry] but were supportive. So hearing people freely speak about it, about how they feel about it, I think that helps. Discussing her start in the adult industry and Linda Lovelace’s influence, she said: “The funny thing is [before entering the adult industry] I never knew anything about porn. I never watched, I was always in a relationship, I was never promiscuous, I never practiced any type of liberal, sexual behavior. Getting in the business liberated me. Linda Lovelace took this to a whole other level, and back then so many women realized, ‘Wow, I can do this, too.’”
